Isbell's rooted in rich story telling tradition

Jason Isbell's voice perfectly filled the air in the Barrymore Theater. It is a
voice so rich and full you feel it as much as hear it. With the breakout success of
his latest album Southeastern, Isbell is easily selling out most dates on this tour
including this night. This success as a solo artist has taken some time to build
since Isbell left the Drive-By Truckers in 2007. A couple of contributing factors to
finally achieving this hard won acclaim are his relatively recent sobriety (he
celebrated two years sober the night before at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee) and a
marriage last year to singer/fiddle player Amanda Shires who has joined him for this
tour.

Music and story telling is deeply rooted in Southern traditions for this Muscle
Shoals area native. Much of this evening was dedicated to his new album starting
with "Flying Over Water" but mixed in were older favorites from his solo career,
"Alabama Pines," and his days as a Drive-by Trucker "Decoration Day." The
storytelling even takes a trip to the north in "Live Oak" as a tale of a murderer
that starts in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The raw honesty of "Elephant," a song about a
friend dying of cancer, was a breathtakingly beautiful moment of the show.

With the release of his latest album The Lights From The Chemical Plant, opening act
Robert Ellis has shifted his style and music from traditional country/folk to pop
with expanded influences. These changes, which also included a move from his native
Houston to Nashville to work with a record producer for the first time, are paying
off with positive critical acclaim from national press.

His performance this evening was primarily made up of his new music. He added an
older song "Photographs" even though the band didn't know the song after a request
from a woman who said that this song was her wedding song. After pointing out that
this song is a unusual choice of a wedding song as it is about adultery, Ellis and
the band made it work. His voice, clear and warm toned, works well with his
currently evolving music style. His cover of Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All
These Years" showed off his vocal range beautifully and was an emotional highlight
of his performance. Another cover, Richard Thompson's up beat "Tear Stained Letter"
added some danceable fun to the set.

Jason Isbell Setlist:

Flying Over Water
Go It Alone
Tour Of Duty
Decoration Day
Streetlights
Goddamn Lonely Love
Heart On A String
Different Days